Follow Thy Calling
by Bakura13
Summary: The ensnared spirit passed down from generation to generation... The curse has been bestowed upon thee... Follow thy instincts... Follow thy call of the mighty White Tiger... Thou hath been summoned... Please R
1. Chapter I Voices In My Head

**A new idea for a Fan Fiction that hopefully doesn't copy someone else's idea o Anyway... Enjoy the first chapter! Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, damn it! **

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**Chapter I - Voices in my Head **

Outside of Tyson's grandfather's dojo** (AN: That's a mouthful)**, a training beyblade match was going on. It was between the humanoid cat, Ray Kon, and the intimidating Russian beyblader, Kai Hiwatari.

"Don't hold back, Driger!" Ray's amber eyes turned cat-like as he ordered his beyblade to attack.

_One... White..._ A voice in Ray's head seemed to echo quietly.

'Huh?' Ray blinked, getting distracted from what he thought he heard.

"Dranzer!" Kai single word command broke through his thoughts as his dark crimson eyes narrowed and that was all his beyblade needed to know.

The spinning beyblades seemed to drift apart then ripped across the beystadium in all their fury, colliding full force. A gust of wind from the impact blew in all directions from the clash of the beyblades, with the bit beasts still hidden. Ray put an arm up to shield his face slightly as his long ponytail was whipping in the wind behind him; his raven coloured bangs being brushed away from his eyes. Kai simply stood there unfazed, his two-toned blue hair rustling from the current of air that also brushed by the blue triangle markings on his jaw line.

"Wow! They're still going!" Max piped up, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I don't know what to say, Chief." The bit beast in the laptop spoke up. "Those two are really going at it."

"No more games..." Kai said slowly. "This match is over. Dranzer! Fire Arrow Attack!"

His beyblade ripped around the beystadium and the centerpiece of the blade glowed with a reddish hue and a phoenix flew up from the center into the open, its screeching battle cry echoing. Ray tensed slightly as he saw the other's beyblade charge right for his blade.

"Driger! Tiger Claw Attack!" He yelled; his tiger fangs visible for the whole team to see.

_Two... Tiger..._ It was more noticeable this time and started to get creepy.

'Two what...?' Ray thought, starting to get more distracted from the match.

A green hue appeared on the centerpiece of Ray's beyblade and a white tiger, surrounded by a green glow, shot out; standing threateningly towards the red phoenix. Claws met flames as the two collided, creating a blinding white light, which caused the Blade Breaker team to shield their eyes. Ray lowered his arms slightly as the light started to disappear, seeing his beyblade at his feet; motionless.

"You weren't paying attention." Kai said in a cold tone as he caught his beyblade in mid-air. "Now if someone was after your bit beast for keeps, you'd be hopeless."

"Come on, Kai." Tyson said, trying to get rid of the bitter atmosphere. "It was just a training match. I'm sure Ray will be more serious when the time comes."

"Tch..." Kai walked over to the outside Dojo wall and leaned on it, his arms crossed over his chest. "Next round..."

"I challenge you, Ray!" Tyson pointed at the Chinese beyblader. "I beat you once and I can do it again!"

"You're on, Tyson!" Ray nodded, setting his beyblade back up.

"Okay!" Max got up, being the 'referee'. "Ready?"

"You bet!"

"Bring it on, Tyson."

"Three!" Max started counting down, raising an arm over his blond hair. "Two! One! Let it rip!"

Both competitors shot their beyblades into the ring and went straight for the attack.

"Come on, Dragoon! We can win this!" Tyson shouted. "Go get him!"

"Don't let him get you!" Ray said, watching the two beyblades rip across the stadium as they evaded each other's frontal attacks.

"Time to turn things up a notch... Dragoon! Bring on the storm!" Tyson's beyblade's rotation increased and the wind picked up again, more violently as the whirlwind surrounded the blade and headed straight for Driger.

"DRIG-" Ray stopped in mid-sentence, seeming to be frozen to the spot.

_Three... Claw..._

'Three?!' Ray thought frantically, finding himself rooted to the spot and couldn't even make an attempt to speak. 'What's going on?'

_Thee who possess the White Tiger is bound to it forever in an unbreakable bond..._

'Who's saying that?' Ray started to get nervous as he stood there unblinking.

"Ray? Is everything alright?" Max looked curiously at the Chinese beyblader. "Ray...?"

_Instincts of an animal... features like a tiger... Thee who possesses this great spiritual power is now at its mercy..._

"Guys, I think something is wrong!" Kenny watched carefully.

"Ray, snap out of it!" Tyson took at step or two forward.

"We've got problems, Chief." Dizzi said in a worried tone. "Take a look at Driger's stats. They're going off the charts and then some!"

Kai cautiously watched the Chinese beyblader seeming to be looking at nothing and frozen to the spot. "Ray, stop kidding around."

Nothing.

Kai furrowed his eyebrows and stood up straight. "Get your head in the match, Ray. Stop playing!"

_The ensnared spirit passed down from generation to generation... The curse has been bestowed upon thee... Follow thy instincts... Follow thy call of the mighty White Tiger... Thou hath been summoned..._

Ray let out a horrible screech of pain and threw his head back as he felt something claw across his lower back to his shoulders, feeling the absolute burning sensation as his cry echoed into the blue sky above. His hands seemed to be outstretched like claws as he tried to ignore the unbearable agony, his back arched as he tried to escape it.

Kai's eyes widened slightly at the other's reaction, seeing the material ripped from Ray's back in a claw-like form. "What's going on here?!"

_Slay... follow thy instincts... _

"DRIGER!" Ray seemed to roar out, snapping his head back down as his longer fangs gleamed in the sunlight, his amber eyes blazing and cat-like. "Destroy the enemy! Destroy it with your Tiger Claw Attack!"

The bit beast roared, a new power emitting from its form as it made its way towards the target.

Tyson watched Ray nervously then became focused again. "Dragoon!"

The dragon bit beast was summoned and emerged from its prison in the beyblade, facing its opponent, which mercilessly charged for it.

"Don't back down, Dragoon!"

_Slay... take the life of thy foe..._

Ray growled deeply in his throat then yelled out a thunderous command. "KILL IT!"

Black and white auras seemed to swirl around Ray in stripe patterns as he continued to howl the last word, his hand outstretched in a slashing position. The beyblade seemed to respond to the mysterious power and rushed straight into Dragoon, ripping up a path in the beystadium as Tyson's blade was thrown out of the ring and through the wall of the Dojo, right beside Kai's head. The other four members of the Blade Breakers team stared in awe and shock at what they had just witnessed. Ray was slightly hunched over, breathing heavily from the rush as he watched his still spinning beyblade in the torn up ring with a bead of sweat sliding down his face.

_Thou hath proved thy thirst for victory..._

"Wha... what just happened...?" Max asked with wide-eyes, looking at the hole in the Dojo wall and back to Ray.

_The White Tiger hath requested more..._

Ray's outstretched hand caught his beyblade as it returned to him in almost a blur. His heavy breathing had subsided and he remained quiet, his raven bangs shadowing his eyes as he slowly ran his tongue over his longer fangs.

He spoke in a low purr. "What is it that you request..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kai asked as he walked over towards the ruined beystadium. "Ray, who are you talking to..."

_Thy enemy hath not been vanquished..._

"I know..." He responded to the chorus of voices in his mind.

"This is getting freaky!" Max took a few steps away from Ray.

_Honor thee... slay your enemy... _

"The enemy will die..." A smirk slowly appeared on his lips as his fangs remained clean and white... for the moment.

_Obey thy calling for revenge... Conquer thy enemy and taste its sweetened blood... Slay the dragon..._ The dark chorus of voices echoed.

"I will obey the call for revenge..." Ray said in a low tone, his eyes remaining shadowed.

Kai tensed and stopped walking, back-tracking a bit. "All of you guys back off right now..."

"I will defeat my enemy..." Ray continued, flexing his hands slightly as they cracked. "And taste their sweetened blood from victory..."

"Blood?!" Tyson's heart almost leapt into his throat, as he listened to the seemingly possessed Ray talk out loud.

"I will..." Ray looked up at Tyson through the bangs of his hair as he smirked maliciously. "Slay the dragon..."

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**And I leave it at that First chapter and making it all mysterious... So how's the introduction of it all? Please review if you like it! **


	2. Chapter II Misunderstanding

** Thanks for the reviews!**

**Devlinn Reiko-sama - I'll try to update as soon as possible! Aside from the other fan fictions that remain unfinished.**

**Sarcasmcat - Aww, thanks! ; Hopefully I can keep up this quality of writing for this fan fiction compared to my other ones...**

**Tala1 - Kinda scary? Nah... it's all fun and evil! Can't forget evil, now can we?**

**Rabel-blah-blah-blah – I'm glad you like the story! It's fun making characters seem really dangerous! Insert cackle … Ahem.**

**Espina Oscura – Creepy? Damned straight! This actually might be one of my only decent works…**

**nekogurlcat – Don't send him after Kai? Well… there aren't any promises… but maybe there is… who knows.**

**Platinum Rei – Thank you ;**

**Animegirl8 – Evil? I wonder if there's a more vicious word…looks it up**

**The Otherworlder – Nothing makes sense in my world! … That's why there's mystery**

**random – Why thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade! **

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**Chapter II – Misunderstanding **

Tyson started taking a few steps back as Ray started advancing towards him slowly. Kai's face showed a scowl as he tried to figure out why the humanoid cat had suddenly changed so quickly during practice.

"H-hey, buddy." Tyson stuttered. "S-something wrong?"

Ray seemed to utter a low growl in his throat as he stepped through the broken pieces of the beystadium towards his target. His eyes remained cat-like and dangerous as his fangs were looking more dangerous to Tyson by the moment.

"Kenny, I'm still picking up something from Driger." Dizzi spoke out. "Even though the practice match is over, that weird feeling is still there. I'm a bit beast and I know these things and this can't be good."

Ray hunched down among the shattered pieces of the beystadium and took a lunge at the dark blue-haired boy, catching him off-guard. He managed to pin Tyson to the ground with a vice-like grip on his upper arms and he bared his teeth, almost sheer animalistic snarling from his jaws.

_The dragon has been caught…Finish it off…Slay the dragon…_

"Get him off of me!" Tyson's voice sounded frightened as he squirmed, trying to get away from the heavier weight on him.

"I will finish it off…" Ray growled, glaring down at his captive.

Ray's fangs flashed dangerously and he was almost successful of puncturing one of the major veins on Tyson's neck when a sharp pain started raking up his back again. Ray pulled his head back, glaring over his shoulder as more backing of his shirt was ripped open… this time by Kai's beyblade. Kai's steely gaze watched Ray with the uttermost caution as he held his beyblade launcher in its finishing position.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, Ray?" Kai asked frigidly, hearing his beyblade spinning on the walkway.

Ray's blazing eyes narrowed and he leapt off of Tyson, with his newly acquired mysterious strength and agility, and pulled himself over the wall that surrounded the property's perimeter.

"Ray, where are you going?" Shouted Max as he stayed back but was very concerned. "Guys, we can't just let him run off! He just tried to attack Tyson!"

"Hmph…" Kai took off after Ray, snatching his beyblade on the way by. "You three get moving…"

Tyson sat up, his heart pounding against his ribcage a mile a second as his brain attempted to understand what had just happened and what could have happened.

"Tyson! Are you okay, dude?" Max slightly got over his fear and ran over to his friend. "Are you hurt?"

"N-no… b-but that was too… too…" Tyson stuttered, not being able to find the right word to explain how he felt.

"Was it just me or d-did he try to b-bite you?" Max's anxiety increased as he could not believe it either.

"I think… he tried to kill Tyson…" Kenny nervously pushed his glasses back up with a shaky hand. "He went straight for his neck… the easiest target…"

"… For an animal…" Tyson gulped, still feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"Are you three going to stand there like you've seen a pack of ghosts or are you going to help Kai out so he doesn't have to do this by himself?" Dizzi's computerized voice broke through the thick air of unease. "This won't fix itself."

"Y-yeah… I'll move in a sec…" Tyson put a hand to his throat, shuddering from the feeling of almost being bitten by his own teammate.

"I-I can't go after him!" Max looked at the wall that Ray had escaped over. "I mean, I know it's Ray in there but… but… I just can't!"

"To tell you guys the truth, I still can't shake off this really eerie feeling… I can't even get myself to move, it was so creepy…" Kenny admitted, hanging his head down.

The three sat in silence, not being able to get themselves to help the Russian beyblader. "Sorry, Kai…"

Kai ran down a street, seeing Ray up ahead of him and he scowled. 'What the hell is wrong with him… This is definitely not like Ray to just… attack someone like that… especially one of our own teammates… That's just not the way he is…'

His eyes narrowed as he noted that Ray darted off into an alleyway and to the river, following him at a safe distance; keeping himself hidden. Fortunately, there was no one near by as dusk started rolling in. Ray slid to a stop just before the river's edge and leaped onto a few rocks that stuck through the water's surface. Kai lay flat on the grass at the against one of the concrete supports of the bridge and watched Ray warily as the Chinese beyblader stayed on the rocks near the middle of the river.

"What do I do now…" Ray said to himself but loud enough for the other boy to hear him.

_The dragon's heart beats full with life but also with fear… _

"I was distracted…" Again he spoke, making the other blader more suspicious of him.

_Strike when least anticipated…Surprise gives power to the White Tiger…Always had, always will…It can also be thy foe…_

"I… understand…"

Kai almost jumped from the ground as the same blood-freezing scream pierced the evening air and went straight to his eardrums, causing him to wince. 'Damn, he's loud…'

Ray's hands clutched his head tightly as he shook his head frantically, as if trying to wake up from a dark perilous nightmare. The claw markings on his partially exposed back seemed to darken and look fiercer as that new pain registered in his mind. Kai noticed the other go strangely quiet and seemed to lose his footing on the rocks, falling straight into the water. Kai bolted from his position and ran into the water, making a grab for Ray to pull his head above the surface. He managed to grab the still intact collar of Ray's outfit and pull his upper-body out of the water.

"Kai…?" Ray seemed to say weakly, not being able to focus his eyes on the Russian's face. "What are you…"

Kai didn't know what to make of it. Just earlier, Ray was going through practice matches then he suddenly snapped into something more vicious, something more… 'Cat-like…'

He wasn't sure if Ray was calm or not but his suspicions slipped away with Ray's consciousness as he felt the other's full weight on him. 'This makes things easier…'

He hoisted the unconscious beyblader onto his back and climbed out of the water, starting to walk back towards the Dojo while carrying the injured party. After quite some time of traveling, he finally came up to the familiar walls of the property and walked through the gate, moving his steely gaze to the surrounding area. Empty.

"I know at least one of you guys is around here somewhere…" Kai added a mumbled comment. "Like the weaklings you are…"

The Dojo door slid open and Tyson was standing there, wide-eyed as he saw Kai push past him and bring the dripping wet Ray into the room.

"You could have least taken your shoes off." Tyson mumbled, running off into his house to get some towels.

Kai stood silently as he continued to hold the unconscious Ray on his back while Kenny and Max were exchanging worried glances.

"Why don't you bring your dogs in here, little dude?" Tyson's grandfather asked in his usual… odd attitude.

"Grandpa, you don't understand. This is serious-"

"Ah, it's cool with me. They can hang out at our pad for a bit and chill."

Tyson sighed. "Fine… Don't say I didn't warn you." The other three heard Tyson pad back towards the Dojo and slid the door open. "My grandpa insists that you guys come on… Bring him to my room, Kai. He can stay in there until we figure out what we're going to do."

Kai nodded solemnly, following Tyson as Max and Kenny nervously kept their distance in case Ray wasn't exactly sleeping. After several moments, the conscious members of the Blade Breakers team was sitting by the doorway of Tyson's room while Ray remained comatose and quiet as a few towels were wrapped around him to soak up the river's water.

"What happened, Kai?" Tyson asked, taking a glance at Ray.

"As much as I would hate to admit it, I don't have a clue on what's going on…" Kai scowled, leaning on a wall with his eyes closed and his arms crossed calmly over his chest. "I caught up to him by the river… He was acting strange again and seemed to be talking to himself… or something… And then he screamed in a lot of pain and fell into the water. I had to get him before he drowned himself and that's about it."

"… This is far too creepy." Max said quietly, keeping as much distance from Ray and making sure he had a clear path to the door.

"Get over it… This is very serious. Until Ray pulls himself together, we can't enter any tournaments or competitions until we're absolutely sure on what's going on…" Kai spat out bitterly, turning his head away.

"Kai, I think there's something else you should know…" Kenny said timidly, not liking that he also was in the same room as Ray. "Earlier, Dizzi noticed that Driger's power increased dramatically and the source is unknown. It was right about the time when Ray started freaking out. The real power jump was when that strange… aura was noticeable just before Tyson's blade was blasted out of the ring… There has to be a connection somehow…"

"Hrm…" Kai let his mind try to sort out the information that he was given, trying to come up with some sort of logical answer. "Until Ray is at least back to his normal self, I'm keeping watch since you three are obviously still shaken up from earlier… If he gets out, I'll tell you so you have enough time to hide…"

Tyson wanted to shout back at Kai for his comment but he decided to bite his tongue, and he only nodded in response. Max didn't know if he wanted to stay or not. He still felt very nervous out Ray in case the humanoid cat decided to lash out again and he didn't want to be the first one caught.

"I'll stay if you guys are up to it…" Max sighed.

"… We're in this together and I'm sure Dizzi can be a big help on trying to figure this all out…" Kenny said nervously.

"Alright then. So we're all pretty much okay with what's going on. We'll decide in the morning of what we're going to do and how we're going to deal with this." Tyson said, leaving the room to tell his grandfather that his friends were staying over for the night.

Hours later, when the Blade Breakers had settled in, Kai sat in the doorway of Tyson's room, resting the back of his head on the doorframe as he slept lightly. Tyson, Max and Kenny had decided to sleep elsewhere since it seemed safer for them. Everything was quite for a few moments longer until Ray started shivering. Kai cracked his eyes open halfway, side-glancing at Ray as he turned onto his side. Ray curled up a bit, hugging the blankets closer to him as he shivered slightly from falling into the cold water or even from something else. Kai swore that he heard a few whimpers from the Chinese beyblader as he slept.

_The dragon…_

"I… I don't know what you're talking about…" Ray muttered slightly, tugging on the blankets more.

'Oh great, he talks in his sleep now…' Kai rolled his eyes.

_Underneath the surface, the dragon is thy foe… _

"Under what… what do you mean…" Ray pulled the covers up to his chin.

_The White Tiger is its own…It is not thy enemy…Embrace it… _

Ray whimpered things for a few more minutes until he was sleeping peacefully again, still shivering slightly. Kai closed his eyes again, exhaling slowly as he listened for a while more to make sure that Ray was truly sleeping. When Kai awoke at dawn, he noticed Ray sitting up, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"So you're awake then…" Kai stated flatly, watching him.

"Huh…?" Ray continued to rub one eye as he sleepily looked at Kai. "What time is it…"

"If you haven't noticed from the window, it is the crack of dawn… You have quite a bit of explaining to do…" Kai pressed on. "Yesterday, you attacked Tyson and by the looks of things… You haven't changed much."

"Attacked Tyson? Changed?" Ray blinked a few times at Kai, not taking notice of his longer fangs. "We were beybattling yesterday and I lost to you… Then I went against Tyson and I don't remember who won… I didn't attack Tyson except during the match with Driger and Dragoon…"

Kai's eyebrows rose slightly. "You won the match, Ray…"

"I did?" Ray blinked again, still feeling confused. "But…"

"You beat him, alright. Knocked his beyblade right out of the bowl and through the wall of the Dojo…" The Russian beyblader said, keeping his eyes on Ray. "You spaced out and went nuts…"

"No I didn't… after the match, Tyson invited us all to sleep over." Ray said, sounding more confused.

"…" Kai narrowed his eyes slightly at Ray who was obviously wanting to go back to sleep. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah…" Ray yawned, scratching his head sleepily as his altered fangs were still unnoticed to him. "If you don't believe me, then ask Tyson or Max or Kenny…"

Kai heaved a heavy sigh and got up, walking over to the bed. "You may as well get up… You…" He paused for a moment, thinking of a cover-up until he could get the answers from the confused boy. "Fell in the river when Tyson and Max were joking around… Come on, move it."

Ray blinked sleepily and climbed out of bed, feeling that some of his hair was still wet and he had the dreaded feeling that his tied back hair was still soaked. "Yeah, I remember… I better get him back for that…"

'Tch… lucky guess..' Kai thought as he dumped the pile of towels into a corner.

Ray had made his way to the bathroom and he was feeling along the wall for the light. His fingers finally brushed across it and he flicked the switch on, blinking groggily as he looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was a bit matted and he obviously looked half-asleep still. He yawned again, this time noticing something.

Everyone within the household who was still sleeping was jolted awake by Ray's yell.

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**There we go! Chapter two! Hope you enjoyed it! **


	3. Chapter III Awakened Fears

**oO; I update soon...? Five days isn't that long T.T**

**Thank you again: Devlinn Reiko-sama, Sarcasmcat, Platinum Rei, Reis#1gurl, Rabel-blah-blah-blah and random. On to chapter three!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.**

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**Chapter III - Awakened Fears**

Kai ran out of the bedroom and headed towards the bathroom, skidding to a stop when he saw Ray looking absolutely terrified. 'Oh great...'

Ray leaned over the sink and looked in the mirror, trying to get a better look at the long fangs. He ran a finger cautiously over one of the canine teeth, trying to convince himself that he was still half asleep and that his teeth were normally like that.

"How did these... What the hell happened?" Ray asked, noticing Kai stepped into the bathroom. "This is impossible!"

"Just don't freak out..." Kai said, already finding it a bit late trying to say that. "I'm sure there is an explanation for this..."

"What the hell is going on, already?" Ray asked, looking back at Kai.

"I don't know... Better yet, none of us know what's going on..." Kai replied coldly, taking a glance behind him as the others started gathering around. "Just don't panic as much until we figure out what to do..."

"Ray, what's wrong?" Tyson asked, looking past Kai's shoulder. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Go back to sleep." Kai ordered, blocking the doorway from the others as he looked coldly at them. "Everything's fine."

"But we heard him yell-"

"He's fine." Kai said, closing the door so he and Ray were the only ones in the room.

He exhaled slowly, moving his gaze back to Ray who was looking in the mirror again, trying to get a better look on the new fangs.

"Ray, for the best of things, don't start freaking out..." Kai said warily. "Right now, no one knows what the hell is going on... If you feel anything weird or strange that's bothering you more than it is right now, you tell me right away. No one else, alright?"

"But Kai-" Ray started then quickly shut his mouth from the look that he was given.

"No one else." Kai said calmly.

"Alright..." Ray nodded.

"It's still early so you may as well go back to sleep or take a shower and stay up while the rest of them go back to bed." Kai said, crossing his arms.

Ray thought for a moment, looking at his reflection in the mirror and seeing his longer fangs over his bottom lip. "I... think I'll take my chances staying up..."

Kai nodded and left Ray to take his shower. He leaned against the wall a few feet away from the door, staying quiet in case something was to happen. Even with his eyes closed, he could hear someone peeking out from around a corner.

"I thought I told you to go back to bed..." He said in a low tone.

Max watched him hesitantly. "I was just wondering if Ray is really okay..."

Kai sighed, turning his head away. "He's fine. Don't you guys get worried over it. I'm keeping an eye on him..."

Max nodded slightly, even though the other couldn't see it. "That's good, Kai..."

The blond-haired beyblader crept back away and left Kai in silence. A few moments later, Ray emerged from the bathroom, fully clothed but his hair remained down and wet, not tied up in its usual fashion.

"Come on, let's go." Kai said, starting to walk down the hallway towards the kitchen.

Ray blinked but followed the Russian, despite his doubts. Kai told him to go sit outside and he did so, still wondering what was going on with all the strange incidences. He sat on one of the benches and took a quiet glance around. It was a little after dawn but it was particularly quiet, with few birds chirping from time to time. He sighed slowly, actually enjoying the quiet solitude that he had been missing for so long, letting his problems slip away temporarily.

'What's happening to me...' Ray thought to himself as he looked at the slowly brightening sky. 'I really don't know what is going on... I wouldn't attack Tyson or anyone... But why did Kai tell me that I did... he's not one for lying either... Maybe...'

Ray's thoughts were interrupted from Kai standing in front of him, holding out a mug of tea. He had one for himself and looked like he always did; distant.

"Uhm, thanks..." Ray said as he took the mug, holding it with both hands in his lap.

Kai simply nodded and sat on the ground, placing the mug beside him then he crossed his arms and sat as he was usually seen.

"Kai... can I ask you something?" Ray said, looking at the mug in his hands. "Did I... really attack Tyson yesterday...?"

Kai sat silently, his eyes closed in thought then he finally decided to answer the other boy. "If you want the truth, then yes... you did. Rather viciously, I might add... Whether it was intentional or not, you didn't seem like yourself at all."

"So it's true..." Ray said quietly.

"Unfortunately... From this point on, Ray, if there's anything out of the ordinary that would somehow lead for you do to that again, you tell me right away. And I mean anything. We can't afford to take any chances." Kai stated firmly, taking a calm sip of his tea.

"Actually..." Ray started, getting Kai's attention almost immediately. "There is something..."

Kai watched Ray's uncertain face, waiting for him to continue. "Well...?"

"I heard..." Ray stopped again, not wanting to actually say he heard voices in his head. He would probably be labeled as crazy and be avoided more than he felt he was. He could feel Kai's steely gaze on him and it was starting to make him more uncomfortable. "I heard... voices..."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Voices?"

Ray nodded, then took a drink of the tea. "Yeah... That's what I said... It was weird..."

"When did it start..." Kai pressed on, not taking his eyes off of the Chinese beyblader.

"During our practice, I think... Yeah, it did..." Ray thought hard, trying to sort out all the details. "I got side-tracked during our practice beybattle and then I went against Tyson..."

"That's when you were starting to act a little strange, Ray..." Kai said. "You started to space out..."

Ray nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I remember that now... I couldn't move... It was like I wasn't allowed to... As much as I wanted to say something or at least move a muscle, I couldn't actually get myself to do anything. And the voices... the voices got worse..."

"Don't work yourself up over it..." Kai warned.

"I know but..." Ray shook his head. "It was just really, really weird..."

"It was strange for all of us... For now, we'll see how today goes... We're still practicing no matter what, though... Just remember what I told you." Kai said then he finished his tea in silence.

"Yeah, alright..." Ray went back to thinking quietly, not bothering to finish his drink as he just looked at it.

The two sat in silence for a while, listening to the quiet of daybreak and didn't say much of anything else. Ray sighed quietly and closed his eyes, then regretting that he did. They were back...

_Do not disappoint us..._

Ray dropped the half-full mug of tea and lurched off of the bench, falling on his knees and elbows as he covered his head. Kai immediately sat up on his knees, watching Ray warily.

"What's wrong now?" He asked cautiously, watching Ray jerk away when he was about to put his hand on his shoulder.

_The White Tiger... The beast is the master..._

"No... No it's not! Stop it!" Ray growled, shaking his head as some of his hair fell over his face.

"Ray, answer me, damn it!" Kai barked, getting up immediately to avoid any possible attack.

_The dragon... the dragon must be destroyed..._

"It doesn't! Stop it!" Ray snarled, feeling himself starting to lose control of his own actions again.

Even though Ray wore the same shirt with the rips in it, Kai could see the claw marks on his back darken considerably and seemed to be glowing with a darkened aura. His attention was turned back to Ray's face.

"What the hell?!" Kai's eyes widened a bit when he noticed Ray's nails... or what they originally were.

Kai found this a definite problem. First of all, Ray had started to freak out and go absolutely ballistic at Tyson and there were the extended fangs... Next were the odd claw markings through the back of his shirts and his back... and now...

"Claws..." Kai said quietly, furrowing his eyebrows as Ray started to get up unsteadily, still covering his head and most of his face.

"I don't want to do it!" Ray hadn't noticed the newly ingrown claws but he had a very strong unexplainable feeling.

_Follow thy instincts..._

"Stop it..." Ray seemed to beg.

_Thy White Tiger's instincts are to kill... The dragon is thy enemy... It is the will of the White Tiger..._

Kai slid a few steps back, keeping his arms up defensively as Ray's animalistic snarling resurfaced from the other day. 'He's transforming into something...'

"Ray, don't go anywhere..." Kai said loudly to the Chinese beyblader, watching him stand.

Ray looked at Kai, his teeth clenched tightly as he snarled in a very wild cat sort of way and his eye twitched violently with his fangs gleaming for the thirst of blood.

"The dragon..." Ray snarled, his voice definitely changed as it sounded more inhuman.

'The dragon must be Tyson...' Kai watched the other warily, keeping his guard up. 'Tyson has Dragoon and that's what he must be after...'

Ray let out a snarl and ran straight for Kai, his claws extended and his hands pulled back. Kai did not want to let Ray back in the Dojo so he waited until the moment that Ray was going to slash down at him then caught his hands, trying to push him back a bit but found that he had more strength than he anticipated. Burning amber tiger-eyes met a steely crimson gaze as the two were locked in a mercy fight, a battle of strength.

"The dragon!" Ray snarled again, digging his claws into the back of Kai's hands.

"Shit!" Kai winced, not backing down. "TYSON! Wake the hell up RIGHT NOW!"

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**I hope that was worth the wait. Sorry I have a lot of other fan fictions to work on and I'm not always in a writing mood. I apologize for the wait. If there are any spelling errors, I've most likely missed them. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. **


	4. Chapter IV Too Real

**Sorry for being a little quick with that chapter, Xaphien. I really got stuck on that chapter and wanted to update yesterday before Reis#1gurl mauled me for not updating oO; Thanks for the tip I'll try to remember that for these later chapters.**

**Thanks for the reviews: Devilinn Reiko-sama, Sarcasmcat and Xaphien**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, damn it.**

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**Chapter IV - Too Real**

Kai grit his teeth more as he could feel the sharp claws dig into the flesh on the back of his hands. He couldn't risk letting Ray get loose, especially with the others more vulnerable. He tightened his grip in the mercy fight and started bending Ray's wrists backwards, relieving some of the pressure that was affecting his hold. He could feel his own blood oozing from the puncture marks and sliding down his hands and arms.

"Ray, stop this right now!" Kai ordered, feeling Ray bending his wrists again.

"The dragon!" Ray snarled again. "Let me have the dragon!"

Kai growled and pushed back at Ray with quite a bit of force, causing him to lean back slightly and it gave Kai the change to sweep the crazed boy's feet from under him with one smooth kick to the back of his ankles. Ray fell back but not without dragging the Russian with him, using all the newly acquired strength in his arms, Ray managed to yank the other right off of his feet and over him just before his own back slammed onto the ground. The sudden impact stunned both boys as Ray's grasp loosened considerably from the wind being knocked out of him.

Kai blinked a few times, trying to clear his head from hitting the ground so suddenly then he yanked his bleeding hands away. He seethed, standing up to see how much damage had been done and then looked up, finding Ray not there.

"Damn it!" Kai took about two steps forward before an arm lashed out behind him and wrapped around his neck.

He brought his hands up immediately, grabbing Ray's arm to pull it away from his throat as he gagged slightly. He had to admit, Ray had gotten a lot quicker in no time flat and stronger from whatever was driving him mad. More pain shot through his hands and wrists as the claw wounds started to take their toll on him.

"No!" Kai hissed through his teeth, desperately trying to pry Ray's arm away before he suffocated.

He definitely needed help this time. Kai couldn't get his bleeding and injured hands to cooperate properly. He didn't see anyone around because it was so early in the morning and it started to anger him more. He really wished that Tyson wasn't a heavy sleeper or even deaf when someone tried to wake him. Never in his life did Kai feel cornered with almost nothing he could do as he was attacked. He did the only thing he could do as he pushed Ray's head back to prevent the boy from biting him.

"Somebody help me!" Kai yelled out, hoping the rest of the Blade Breakers would hear them before he was cut off.

Kai's shout was cut short as Ray tightened his grasp around the other's neck. Again, Kai made a stifled choking sound as he tried to get Ray to let go. He was thinking of kicking the other but the message from his brain wouldn't go through.

"Kai! Oh no! Tyson! Max! Hurry up!" Kenny stared in shock from around the corner of the Dojo.

Ray's attention was brought up to the computer and beyblade genius as a low threatening growl erupted from his throat. He saw Max run out from the Dojo and jolt to an immediate stop, watching Kai and Ray with wide frightened eyes. Kai brought his arm down from pushing Ray's head back and jabbed his elbow into the other's stomach, causing him to let go slightly. Kai felt extremely light-headed and his knees threatened to give out from the lack of oxygen.

"I think he's gonna pass out! Someone help him!" Kenny yelled again as Tyson and Max ran over to help the Russian teenager.

Kai jabbed his elbow into Ray's stomach again, finding it easier to breathe without being choked as much but he didn't take that time celebrate the minor victory; it wasn't his style. He in took a sharp breath and grabbed Ray's forearms as tightly as his wounds would allow him then ducked down, pulling the off-guard Chinese blader off his feet and over Kai; slamming his back into the ground as Ray had done earlier. Even though it put quite a bit of strain on his back, Kai brought an elbow up and jabbed Ray in the top part of his gut. Ray sat up slightly from the blow, the last remaining breaths came out in a wheeze and then his head hit the ground again, unconscious.

"Kai!" The remained three called out as they ran over to the Russian blader.

Kai slowly pulled his arm back to his side and breathed heavily, the dizziness not subsiding at all. He sat back up on his knees, rubbing the side of his neck painfully as the blood started flowing back up to his brain but it felt too rushed, causing him to almost fall onto his side.

"Are you alright!? What the hell was going on out here!?" Tyson asked as Kai held himself up with one arm.

"What does it look like..." Kai spat out bitterly, shaking his head for the faintness to go away.

"Your hands!" Kenny said as he looked closer at the wounds. "Oh man, Kai, you really took a beating!"

"You think?!" Kai snapped as Kenny ran back into Tyson's home to get the first aid kit. "While you guys were dead to the world, Ray went ballistic again and had the full potential to kill!"

"Kai, take it easy!" Max cautioned.

"No one is going to take it easy because we have a problem... A very big problem and we have to solve it fast..." Kai hissed through his teeth as Kenny tried to wrap the wounds up when he returned. "I'll do it myself..."

Kenny shook his head as the bandages were taken from him. "But Kai, your hands could be badly damaged!"

Kai pulled a strip of the cloth bandages out with his teeth and started wrapping one of his hands up and scowled menacingly when Kenny stopped him. "I can handle it already!"

"Better let someone else do it. By the looks of it, you won't be able to do much and I stress that you be really, really careful!" Kenny said as he took the bandages in his own hands and started tending to Kai's wounds. "Now tell us what happened."

Kai sighed irritably, glad that the lightheadedness had finally gone away. "He's getting worse. A lot worse and I'm not meaning it lightly. I know what he wants for starters."

"What?" Tyson blinked.

Kai flinched when a set of bandages was tightened around one of his bleeding hands. "Sorry, Kai..."

The Russian blader looked at Tyson, his eyes slightly narrowed. "He's after you, Tyson. At first I didn't get it... He kept saying he needed to get the dragon... You're the target."

"Me?!" Tyson pointed to himself. "Why me?!"

"How the hell should I know?! Just look at him!" Kai snapped, nodding his head over to the unconscious Ray. "He's changing pretty damned fast. Yesterday didn't even come CLOSE to how he was acting today. He was acting like a wild animal looking for blood. Your blood, Tyson."

"Hang on a sec! Ray's trying to kill me!?" Tyson crawled back a few feet.

Kai wanted to slap his forehead in frustration or even clench his hands into fists but Kenny and the injuries to the back of his hands prevented him in doing so. "Listen..." He seethed. "Something is making Ray act like this and I talked to him a while earlier before he started choking me... Something or someone is telling him to do this and he can't control it. He told me it just started yesterday and it has definitely gotten worse so you guys are not to tell ANYONE! Not even the old man, Tyson. It will just make things more complicated as they already are..."

"No problem, there..." Tyson grumbled.

"Ray has gotten very quick and strong. Max, move Ray over onto his side." Kai ordered, moving his steely gaze to the nervous blond.

"Kai, what if-"

"Just do it already!" Kai snapped.

Max gulped nervously and kneeled down by the Chinese beyblader, moving him cautiously in case he tried to wake up. "Oh my god... what is that?!"

"That..." Kai once again moved his gaze, but this time to the darkened claw markings on Ray's back. "Has something to do with it... When Driger sent Dragoon away, Ray had those markings and it was like an invisible set of claws scratched him. I didn't find any sort of bleeding or cut and it is almost like a birthmark of some sort."

"Dizzi was analyzing his beyblade last night and she didn't really find anything out of the ordinary with the actual parts but she said there was something really weird about Driger. An extra boost of power, so to speak." Kenny explained. "This is really peculiar... Either way, Kai, you're hands are basically useless. I tied them up with a layer or two of bandages and you shouldn't do anything."

"Tch..." Kai crossed his arms, resting his hands lightly on his elbows. "I doubt any of you have an idea of what the hell we're going to do about this... I know for a fact that none of you could stand a chance if he got his hands around your neck..."

"And you think you're better?!" Tyson snapped, leaning forward as he glared at Kai.

"I'm not picking a fight, you moron." Kai spat out. "You're cocky and that's a faster way to get you killed. You're Ray's target, not anyone else yet. He attacked me because I was preventing him from getting to any of you guys."

"Just because you're the team captain doesn't mean that you can start putting us down!" Tyson huffed.

"If you continue to be the overconfident smart ass as you are now, there's no hope for you, Tyson. Ray is turning into some sort of a creature and he wants his kill!" Kai snapped, raising his voice. "He's not going to play around with it like a house cat would. He wants to kill it right away to satisfy his thirst for blood! If you don't want your head bitten clean right off of your neck you do as I say! I'm the team captain no matter what and this is an issue to be reckoned with! If you are going to ignore that then I may as well not bother saving your asses again!"

"Kai... you don't really mean that, do you...?" Max asked quietly, looking hurt.

Kai heaved a heavy and exasperated sigh. "Just do what I say and no one else is going to get hurt... That includes Ray..."

"You had me worried for a sec there... Come on, Tyson. Just don't be too stubborn... We really have to help Ray..." Kenny said as he adjusted his glasses.

Tyson sighed as well. "You're right... I'm sorry, Kai..."

"Hn..." Kai closed his eyes, saying nothing more.

"Maybe I should e-mail Mister Dickenson about this... I'm sure he would want to know." Kenny said and opened his laptop.

Kenny started typing away at the portable computer while Max and Tyson sat by Ray uneasily. Kai's eyes snapped open when he heard a groan from Ray and watched him turn onto his stomach, causing Tyson and Max to move backwards a little quickly.

"Hn... don't worry about it, he's out like a light..." Kai said as he watched the said person cautiously. "He won't be up for a while, he was hit pretty hard..."

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**Once again, I end another chapter at a weird spot. Don't expect updates this fast because I actually felt like writing pretty quickly instead of doing chores...cough... I should get to that now...Oh, any spelling errors are probably missed by me again and I hope that this chapter wasn't too fast like the other ones **


	5. Chapter V More Cat Than Human

**Of course I have some sort of plan for this fan fiction... really, I think. Anyway, I'm glad that people like this weird fan fiction**

**Thanks for reviews: Devlinn Reiko-sama, black dragon, Enelya Aldarion, TigerRain, Platinum Rei, Xaphien, Sarcasmcat, Reis#1gurl, Sakin.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade.**

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**Chapter V - More Cat Than Human**

Kai sat quietly, flinching slightly each time he started to clench his hands into fists by habit. So far, Kenny had been mostly unsuccessful contacting the BBA chairman and the rest of the team didn't know what to do about Ray.

"We can't go on like this." Kenny spoke up through the silence. "We have to figure something out soon or more of us will get hurt!"

"It's been about an hour and a half and I'm sure my grandpa is gonna come outside and wonder what's going on..." Tyson muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"What are we gonna do about Ray?" Max asked, looking at the said person. "He has claws and everything..."

"What we know so far is that Ray, or whoever is causing this to happen, is after Dragoon, making Tyson the target..." Kai said calmly. "Each time this happens, something else changes and he is becoming more violent..."

"We're out of our league..." Max said quietly.

"Not quite..." Kai answered as he closed his eyes.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kenny questioned as he looked up from his laptop.

"Think about it... It has something to do with Driger... You said so yourself, Kenny. Driger has a power boost and somehow Ray is benefiting from it... So to speak, anyway..." Kai paused for a moment, thinking. "There are a lot of things about the bit beasts that we don't know about and for all we know, many of them could have been strong rivals..."

"But... Ray and I aren't enemies." Tyson argued. "We've all been friends since I can remember!"

"I know, just cool it..." Kai once again sighed. "We need to make a plan... First of all, Kenny will have to get in contact with Mister Dickenson... Not that he has any idea of what's going on. From there, I think it's time for us to pay a visit to-"

"Ugh... I'm starving..." Ray muttered as he sat up, stretching.

Max, Tyson, Kenny and even Kai stared at the Chinese beyblader as the other started to stand and stopped midway, looking back at the others as he crouched.

Tyson spoke quietly through his teeth. "I thought you said he'd be out for a good while..."

"I did..." Kai watched the humanoid cat warily.

"What's up, guys?" Ray blinked, scratching his head a bit before noticing Kai's hands. "Kai, what happened to you?"

Kai opened his mouth to answer but stopped as Ray did something completely unexpected. He promptly licked the back of his hand with his tongue and rubbed the top of his hair, almost like a cat trying to clean its fur on the top of its head. Kenny nearly dropped his laptop to the ground as Ray did the same thing again, seeming to purr contently. Ray was actually purring like a happy cat.

"I... uh..." Kai was speechless and couldn't even put a proper sentence together.

"W... W... What... is he doing...?" Max stuttered, his eyes glued on Ray.

The other members of the Blade Breakers were speechless as Ray started licking the back of his other hand, brushing the top of his head. As each moment passed, it was looking more cat-like and well...

"This is freaky..." Tyson hand hung in the air, meekly pointing at the other boy. "Yo, dude... Ray!"

"Eh?" Ray stopped mid-action of licking his hand again, finding the others staring at him. "... What's wrong? It's like you guys have seen a ghost or something..."

"You... You... You just..." Max tried explaining but just shut his mouth.

"Do you have any idea... of what you just did a moment ago..." Kai asked slowly, managing to speak again.

"What? What'd I do?" Ray blinked a few times at the others, resting his hand on his knee.

"... Dizzi, you recorded that... Right?" Kenny asked, looking back down at his laptop.

"You bet! Along with the other weird things Ray's done for the past few days." The laptop spoke uneasily. "Here you go, chief."

The team gathered around the laptop as the recording of Ray's recent behavior was played back at them. Ray leaned in so his nose was almost touching the screen, blinking in almost pure curiosity.

"Hey! Not so close, big guy! You're fogging up my monitor!" Dizzi protested.

"Ray, don't go so close, you'll ruin your eyes." Kenny said nervously as Ray tried to get a better look at the screen.

The recording ended and a new one started up when Ray's hand accidentally hit a few keys. It showed the beybattle between Ray and Kai from the previous morning. Ray blinked again as the recording played the beyblades zooming towards each other, the bit beasts doing the same before there was a blinding flash of light.

"AHH!" Ray's cat-like pupils constricted into very thin slits before he fell back, covering his eyes as his yell sounded more like a cat-like yowl. "DAMN IT!"

He frantically rubbed his eyes, trying to edge away the burning bright light that nearly blinded him. Snarling curse words, he took one hand away from his eyes and tried slamming a fist on the laptop. Kenny nervously yanked the laptop away before it was struck and he held out it of reach.

"H-hey!" He said, his glasses nearly falling off. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Nngh! My eyes!" Ray whimpered, trying to get his eyes to focus as he looked through the spaces of his fingers.

"... Did you take in anything at all from that playback?" Kai asked, trusting his doubts.

Ray continued his whimpering, his sight returning bit by bit as he lowered his hands from his eyes. He blinked once... twice... everything coming back into focus. He growled at the laptop, baring his fangs slightly as Kenny shifted back a few feet, hiding the targeted object behind his back.

"Take it easy, man. It's no big deal." Tyson reassured him, stepping into Ray's view. "Besides, we all haven't had breakfast... so its chowtime!"

Ray perked up at the sound of food. "Alright!"

Kai's question was left unanswered as the Blade Breakers made their way into Tyson's home, finding Tyson's grandfather already preparing food.

"Hey there, little dudes! I was wonderin why y'all left in such a hurry! Can't let this chow go to waste now!" He said then he noticed the Chinese beyblader acting strangely.

Ray sat at the table, looking at an apple carefully as he slowly started peeling it with one of his claws. He was trying very hard not to break the apple peel as the others stared at him in disbelief again.

"Yo... What's up with Ray? Is he tryin a new style or somethin?" Grandpa Granger asked.

"Uh... _Yeah_! That's it!" Tyson said nervously, pushing his grandpa back into the kitchen. "We're all starving, grandpa!"

"I guess... you don't need a knife... huh..." Max said slowly, watching his friend use his claws.

After the apple was skinned completely, Ray did another surprising thing that the others thought only Tyson would do in that situation... He shoved the whole apple in his mouth and ate it rather quickly, almost making it looked like he had swallowed the apple whole. He licked his fangs and lips approvingly and grabbed another apple hungrily, starting to peel it in the same fashion. By the time Tyson and his grandfather brought in the food, Ray had finished off at least half a dozen apples, peelings and all.

"Whoa, little dude! You must have been mighty hungry to eat most of those! Do you have any room for breakfast?" Grandpa Granger asked as he started setting the bowls and plates down.

"Do I ever!" Ray exclaimed, sitting up.

As breakfast started, it seemed to be an eating competition between Tyson and Ray. Max ate quietly as he flicked his gaze between the two hungry boys, wondering if they'd eat so much to get themselves sick.

"Is it just me... or has anyone else noticed that Ray-" The said person's gaze made Kenny shut his mouth and stay quiet. He looked down at his laptop on the table, waiting for his search results as he kept his voice down. "Any luck, Dizzi?"

"Here you go, Chief." The laptop showed a window of statistics.

"No way..." Kenny looked at the monitor then back up at Ray, his glasses almost falling off. "This was just a suspicion... but... Ray, how hungry are you?"

Ray gulped down a mouthful of food before getting another helping. "I haven't eaten since yesterday, Chief and it feels like I haven't eaten for a week! How about that, huh?"

"Yeah... how about that..." Kenny readjusted his glasses nervously.

Kai ate his breakfast quietly and calmly as he thought to himself, wincing from time to time as his hands had spikes of pain. 'He didn't answer my question... I'm not sure if he didn't want to answer it or he didn't hear me... We're going to have to get the White Tigers in on this... Maybe they have more of an idea of what's going on with Driger and Ray...'

After several odd moments more, Tyson had his fair share of food, as well as the others... with the exception of Ray.

"... If I'm not mistaken... I think... Ray just ate more than Tyson..." Kenny said in disbelief.

"I think you're right." Max blinked a few times.

"Ray, that's enough." Kai said calmly, thankful that he had been somewhat able to eat his own food without someone feeding him.

He tensed immediately when Ray seemed to snarl and glare at Kai, his claws slightly digging into the table as his other hand fisted Kai's scarf tightly. Kai's icy glare met Ray's at they looked at each other in silence, daring each other to make a move. Thankfully for Tyson, his grandfather wasn't in the room and he kept an eye on the doorway in case he decided to come back. No one made a move since they didn't want to suddenly be the next target. Ray unexpectedly yawned and rubbed an eye drowsily with one fist. The others sighed in relief, being saved from Ray's overeating and making himself sleepy.

"Talk about timing!" Kenny exclaimed, reading over his newly received e-mail. "Mister Dickenson replied to my message and he said he'll be here in about half an hour or so!"

"Finally! It took him long enough! You'd think that he'd be up before me." Tyson muttered and looked at Ray. "Hey, dude. Don't fall asleep on the table. You can sleep on the couch if you want."

Ray nodded slightly and got up, walking towards the other room as the rest of the Blade Breakers watched him in silence. Kai sighed slowly and decided it was the best time to continue his thoughts from earlier.

"While he's taking a nap, I may as well tell you guys what the plan is for now. After Mister Dickenson gets here, we have to discuss about going to China as soon as possible..." He said, getting some confused looks.

"China? Why there? Tyson asked.

"Wouldn't that be dangerous? I mean... how Ray's acting and all..." Max trailed off a bit.

"Why else would you think I'm suggesting it... The White Tigers have to know something about this or at least know some way to prevent this from getting any worse than it already is. I know it's a risky thought but it would take too long if we make the White Tigers travel all the way here. We're just going to have to try our luck and be on full guard." Kai explained.

"I get it now! Good thinking, Kai." Kenny nodded. "I'm sure Mister Dickenson will understand our situation entirely! Or at least most of it, anyway..."

In the other room, Ray had sprawled himself across the couch, holding one of cushions to make it a more comfortable pillow. He could hear the rest of the team talking but he decided to tune it out completely, along with any other external noises.

_The time draws nearer..._

Ray muttered something under his breath in reply as he shifted a bit to get more comfortable.

_The White Tiger hungers for blood... The dragon shall be struck down soon... If it is not carried out, thy failure shall seal thy demise..._

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**Whoo hoo... finally updated this... Sorry for the lack of updates but I'm usually not in the writing mood for once type of story constantly. Oo; That and I have homework, track & field... and the dreaded Writer's Block xx Tis all evil... I know... and hopefully I didn't make this chapter too calm and boring with a hell of a lot of typos. **


	6. Chapter VI Time Limit

**Whoo hoo! I'm still thinking of which team should join the Blade Breakers and the White Tigers for Ray's poor little... kitty... neko-jin problem... I think I've figured it out by bothering one of my friends that knows next to nothing about Beyblade! ... I am so cruel...**

**Thanks for reviews: Sarcasmcat, Devlinn Reiko-sama, Animegirl8, TigerRain, centari-moon, Platinum Rei, Xaphien, Sakin, Fallen Pheonix, lordess-of-the-fallen-angels.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.**

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**Chapter VI - Time Limit**

Ray tossed and turned as he slept on the couch, soaked in a cold sweat. The rest of the Blade Breakers were talking to the BBA chairman in the dining room and couldn't help the Chinese boy from his nightmare. In the nightmare, there were clashes between teeth and claws; land beast versus the ruler of the sky. It seemed violent and deadly as the surrounding terrain was deformed and torn into each time one of the creatures collided with the ground. A wildcat cry ripped through the air as long blood-covered fangs snapped near the slender neck of a blue dragon. A quick swipe from the dragon's claws and the green-striped tiger was thrown back into a Cliffside. Both wild creatures gave each other equally dark glares before they made one final leap at each other. The sky thundered, lightning flashing across it and striking the ground as the Cliffside collapsed on itself. The mighty tiger leapt at the dragon, while the other dove down with an almighty roar. A lightning bolt shot in between them then they collided, blood spilling out in all directions.

_Destined to battle... To the death! _

"NO!" Ray sat up with a jolt, breathing heavily as he looked with wide eyes.

He reached in his pocket and took out his Driger beyblade, still trying to calm himself down as he stared at it. Nothing was wrong with Driger as he turned the beyblade around in his hand, checking for anything out of place. Heaving a slow and heavy sigh, Ray sat quietly for a moment then got up from the couch. He took a few steps forward then hissed in pain when the beyblade felt like it was burning hot. He let go of the object and looked at his shaking hand, flinching from the burn. A clean burn ran right across his hand yet not in a straight line. It seemed to be curved slightly, making it to seem more of a stripe than anything.

"Wh... What's happening to me..." Ray asked quietly, his amber eyes filling with fear of the unknown.

"Ray?" Tyson called out from the dining room. "Is everything okay in there?"

Without a moment's notice, Ray's body seemed to burn in excruciating pain, getting worse with each passing moment. He struggled not to cry out in agony, hugging himself tightly as he watched more odd-looking burns hiss as they appeared. He yelled out, hot tears threatening to spill out of his eyes as he covered his face and nearly ran into the table.

"IT BURNS!" Ray's cry turned into a wildcat yowl as he thrashed about, trying to escape the blazing torture.

_Too much time hath been wasted... Do what must be done... _

There were running footsteps heard from the other room as the remainder of the Blade Breakers team ran to see what was going on. Kai grinded his teeth slightly, watching the panicking neko-jin and he knew that they were in trouble. This was one of those horrible situations that people hoped wouldn't happen. With Kai's hands out of commission, he wouldn't be able to help the others to stop Rei, or whoever was causing it all, from attacking the team. He couldn't launch a beyblade, he couldn't hold the other off from trying to kill Tyson; he couldn't do anything!

"He's losing his mind!" Tyson said and immediately regretted it.

Ray turned is attention to his target, growling before taking a leap at him. Tyson backed up pretty quickly and nearly tripped over a chair.

"H-Hey, I was just kidding about that, man!" Tyson put his hands up defensively.

Ray growled and continued prowling towards his prey as Mr. Dickenson just walked in. He looked at Ray, completely caught off guard from the sudden vicious nature that the teenager was showing towards the Dragoon beyblader.

"What's going on here?" He asked, almost completely taken aback by the situation.

"This is what we were trying to explain!" Kenny said nervously as he backed away. "R-Ray is changing into some sort of animal while Dizzi and I have been trying to figure out what! A-and I think we've reached a conclusion!"

"Oh yeah? And what is it?" Tyson asked from one end of the dining room table, watching Ray carefully.

"W-well, according to our data... We think he's turning into some sort of a cat or tiger!" Kenny readjusted his glasses. "That would explain his increased eating habits, possibly his speed and acting like some sort of a cat too!"

"But what's causing it?" Max asked as he took a few steps further to protect his friends as well since Kai couldn't do so. "And where'd he get those... stripes...?"

Ray snapped his attention to Max, his cat-like pupils constricting dangerously as Kai called out a warning. "Don't corner him!"

Tyson's arrogance started to get the better of him as he started advancing towards his friend, going against his team leader's orders. "It's alright, buddy! It's me! Tyson! We'll figure something out before you turn into some insane, warped cat thing!"

Kai nearly slapped his forehead, almost forgetting that his hands were wounded. "You idiot, what the hell did I just say?!"

"Relax, Kai! Ray wouldn't really hurt me-" Tyson jumped back a few feet as a set of claws swung at him. "... Or maybe I shouldn't corner him."

Ray glanced around, finding himself almost cornered at one side of the room with Tyson and Max 'guarding' one side of the table each and his instincts were telling him to flee. With little will power he had, he crouched down slightly causing the others to tense before he scrambled over the table and forcefully pushed Tyson's grandfather, nearly knocking the man over.

"Whoa, what's up with Ray, little man?" He asked, still holding the tray of tea above his head from the collision. "He nearly ran me over! And where'd he get those rockin tattoos?"

The sliding door from the dojo was crashed into and sounded like it was broken down from Ray as his running footsteps faded. Kai looked at the others, wondering why none of them were going after Ray. He scowled, looking back through the kitchen to the hallway that led to the Dojo.

"Max, you're with me. Let's go." He said as he ran past Tyson's grandfather and followed the path that Ray had taken.

The blonde looked a little hesitant before agreeing with the Russian blader and running after him. He was very worried as a thousand questions whirled through his mind. What was happening to Ray? Could it be fixed? What if he got his hands over Tyson's neck? Would he ever be the same again? Max bit his lip slightly, trying not to think of the worse case scenario as he caught up with Kai. He could tell that Kai looked a little on the nervous side since his hands were basically rendered useless.

"Hr, where'd he go?!" Kai scowled, stopping at a corner and looked around. "He couldn't have gotten far!"

"You don't think he will hurt anyone, do you?" Max asked, looking around for any sign of Ray as well.

"Considering what's been happening lately, there's no point in asking..." Heaving a sigh, Kai continued glancing around. "We're running out of options and time very fast... We have to travel to China and find the White Tiger team as fast as we can before things get any worse."

Elsewhere and surprisingly enough, the Saint Shields were planning on visiting the world champion Blade Breakers for a friendly rematch as they walked along beside the river. Mariam was very bored as she folded her arms behind her head, listening to Dunga complaining about her none too nice sarcastic comments.

"Come on, Mariam! You'd be mad too if some amateur said he could beat you at beyblading!" Dunga said as he held a fist up.

"That little brat only challenged you because he knew that you wouldn't have the brains for the strategy..." Mariam smirked, knowing that Dunga was starting to get ticked off more quickly.

"What?! I beat him easily, not even a challenge!" Dunga growled.

"Both of you cut it out already! I'm starting to get a headache!" Joseph complained, scratching his head. "It's not that big of a deal!"

Ozuma continued walking in front of the group and blinked, something catching his eye on the overpass above the river. He narrowed his jade eyes slightly, trying to figure out who it was. He stopped walking, recognizing the hair, which was supposed to be in a ponytail, immediately as the remainder of his team stopped to see what he was staring at.

"Well, well. Look who we have here." He said, uncrossing his arms. "Looks like our entrance won't be so secret anymore..."

Dunga blinked, looking up at the back of the person on the bridge. "Something doesn't seem right, you guys."

"And what little knowledge have you decided to grace us with this time..." Mariam said boredly.

"I'm serious! Look!" Dunga pointed at the guardrails on the bridge, glaring back at the other with his temper rising. "Shouldn't he be with the rest of those Blade Breakers?"

"Maybe he needed a walk..." Joseph stated quite bluntly. "I'm gonna go see what he's up to."

With that said, Joseph ran up the slope to the street level, running along the sidewalk until he got to the edge of the bridge. He stopped, noticing that Ray's shoulders were trembling. Curious to know what was wrong, Joseph started walking over to Ray and wondered why the other didn't notice any of the Saint Shields. As he got closer, he noticed that the other seemed to be deeply troubled by something and didn't seem the least bit happy.

"Funny to see you here, Ray." Joseph said casually, stopping a ways back from the neko-jin.

Ray stayed silent, saying nothing as his eyes were shadowed from his hair.

"So... uh..." The green-haired boy looked over the marks on Ray's arms. "Nice, uh, stripes you got there."

Ray flinched, moving his head up slightly to reveal his angry cat-like gaze. Personally, Joseph found the silence and icy glare a little on the creepy side but he shook it off. Then he noticed the fangs...

"Uh..." He took a few cautious steps back from the dangerous-looking fangs. "That's pretty different..."

Ray uttered a low and threatening growl as he walked along the railing of the bridge towards the jade-eyed boy.

Ozuma flicked his gaze between the two, starting to get cautious. "Joseph, what's going on?"

Each step that Joseph took back, Ray took another one forward at the same time as he seemed perfectly balanced on the railing. Joseph swallowed nervously, noticing that Ray wasn't his usual self since the last time they had met. Something had changed dramatically and it wasn't just the frighteningly cat-like features either...

"Joseph!" Mariam called out to her younger brother. "Just what the hell is going on up there?!"

Joseph took a few more nervous steps back before stumbling around the corner of the bridge and ran down the sloped grass, nearly falling when he reached the bottom. He was about to yell at the rest of the team when he saw a shadow over him. Fearing the worst, he slowly looked back, his eyes widening as he saw Ray leaping right at him. Not wanting to be pounced on, he leapt forward and landed on his stomach right in front of the rest of his team while he heard Ray land behind him. Ozuma narrowed his eyes slightly at Ray, who had landed on the ground on all fours and seemed fine... until he looked up.

"See? I told you so!" Dunga pointed out. "I told you something wasn't right! Look at him!"

"Alright, already!" Mariam snapped back, helping her brother up. "This isn't the time, Dunga!"

Fangs bared, eyes blazing and covered in dark stripes, Ray had found another threat that wouldn't back down and run away. He stood up, claws fully extended as he stared back at the Saint Shields with a calm but slowly edging towards vicious gaze. A wind blew by, running through Ray's long hair before he hunched down slightly and took a leap at his prey... his enemy...

* * *

**Whoo! It took me a LONG while to get my... uh... I guess you could say writer's groove back... as lame as that sounds. Anyway, I was sort of in a writing slump for the past month or so and I am SO sorry I couldn't update this! Summer school'll probably stop me from updating a few things for two weeks but maybe I'll get back on track this summer... Who knows... Anyway... I'm sure there's a bunch of spelling errors because I've been sitting here at two in the morning, hell-bent on updating this so don't mind my poor grammar... So, the curse of the evil cliffhanger of doom lives on! **


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